How to access your Aol.com AOL Mail email account using IMAP

Aol.com supports IMAP / SMTP

That means you don't have to use Aol.com webmail interface! You can check your emails using other email programs (like Mailbird, Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird). Using desktop email programs will make you more productive and your email will always be available, even offline.

Setup Your Aol.com Account with Your Email Program Using IMAP

To access your Aol.com email account from a desktop email program, you'll need the IMAP and SMTP settings below:

Aol.com AOL Mail IMAP Server	imap.aol.com
IMAP port	993
IMAP security	SSL
IMAP username	Your full email address
IMAP password	Your Aol.com password

Do you have IMAP issues? Discover Mailbird.

Mailbird will find your account settings automatically.
Our customers love the program.

Enter your email to get the link and install in your desktop

Need more guidance?

Check our detailed instructions for your favorite email clients

Mailbird 3 steps
Gmail 5 steps
Outlook 5 steps
Thunderbird 4 steps
Windows Mail 6 steps

Your full name

Your full email address

Step 1: To configure Aol.com on Mailbird Desktop Client, Enter your name and email address. Click Continue.

Step 1: Enter your name and email address. Click Continue.

Step 2: To configure Aol.com on Mailbird Desktop Client, Mailbird is automatically detecting your email settings. Click Continue.

Step 2: Mailbird is automatically detecting your email settings. Click Continue.

Step 3: To configure Aol.com on Mailbird Desktop Client, All set! You can Add more accounts or Start using Mailbird.

Step 3: All set! You can Add more accounts or Start using Mailbird.

Don't have Mailbird yet?

Mailbird might be able to detect server settings for Aol.com automatically for you.

Give it a try now

Bonus Guide: How to Setup an IMAP / POP3 & SMTP Email Account in Gmail

Step 1: To configure Aol.com on Gmail, In the top right corner, click Settings and See all settings.

Step 1: In the top right corner, click Settings and See all settings.

Step 2: To configure Aol.com on Gmail, Select Accounts and Import and then click on Add a mail account.

Step 2: Select Accounts and Import and then click on Add a mail account.

Your full email address

Step 3: To configure Aol.com on Gmail, Enter the email address you would like to add.

Step 3: Enter the email address you would like to add.

Step 4: To configure Aol.com on Gmail, Select one of the 2 options.

Step 4: Select one of the 2 options.

Your full email address

Your password

imap.aol.com

993

Step 5: To configure Aol.com' On Gmail, Enter the following information to complete the email settings.

Step 5: Enter the following information to complete the email settings.

No time for Gmail?

Mailbird might be able to detect server settings for Aol.com automatically for you.

Give it a try now

Step 1: To configure Aol.com on Outlook, Click on the File tab in the upper-left corner of the Outlook window.

Step 1: Click on the File tab in the upper-left corner of the Outlook window.

Step 2: To configure Aol.com on Outlook, Click Add Account

Step 2: Click Add Account.

Your full email address

Step 3: To configure Aol.com on Outlook, Enter your new email address and click Connect

Step 3: Enter your new email address and click Connect

Step 4: To configure Aol.com on Outlook, On the next screen, select IMAP

Step 4: On the next screen, select IMAP

imap.aol.com

993

SSL

smtp.aol.com

465

SSL

Step 5: To configure Aol.com on Outlook, Add the following information and click Next

Step 5: Add the following information and click Next

No time for Outlook?

Mailbird might be able to detect server settings for Aol.com automatically for you.

Give it a try now

Step 1: To configure Aol.com on Thunderbird, In Mozilla Thunderbird, from the menu select Account Settings

Step 1: In Mozilla Thunderbird, from the menu select Account Settings.

Step 2: To configure Aol.com on Thunderbird, In the bottom left corner, click Account actions and <strong>Add Mail Account...

Step 2: In the bottom left corner, click Account actions and Add Mail Account...

Your full name

Your full email address

Your password

Step 3: To configure Aol.com on Thunderbird, Enter your email address and click on Configure manually...

Step 3: Enter your email address and click on Configure manually...

imap.aol.com

993

SSL

smtp.aol.com

465

SSL

Step 4: To configure Aol.com on Thunderbird, Add the following information and click Done

Step 4: Add the following information and click Done

No time for Thunderbird?

Mailbird might be able to detect server settings for Aol.com automatically for you.

Give it a try now

Step 1: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Click on the Setting icon in the bottom left.

Step 1: Click on the Setting icon in the bottom left.

Step 2: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Click on Manage accounts

Step 2: Click on Manage accounts.

Step 3: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Click on + Add account

Step 3: Click on + Add account.

Step 4: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Click Advanced Setup

Step 4: Click Advanced Setup.

Step 5: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Click on Internet email

Step 5: Click on Internet email.

Your full name

Your full email address

imap.aol.com

smtp.aol.com

Step 6: To configure Aol.com on Windows Mail, Enter the following information in the different fields

Step 6: Enter the following information in the different fields.

No time for Windows Mail?

Mailbird might be able to detect server settings for Aol.com automatically for you.

Give it a try now

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions for Aol.com with their answers

Contents

What's the difference between IMAP and SMTP?
Does Mailbird Support IMAP? / Does Mailbird Support POP3?
What does 'port' mean in my email settings?
How do I know if I need POP3 or IMAP?
Can I set up Mailbird for Mac?
How can I import my old emails?
How can I manually set up Aol.com on Mailbird?
How does Mailbird protect my privacy?
How do you generate an app password in Aol.com?

1. What's the difference between IMAP and SMTP?

The short answer is that IMAP connects to your email providers' server and is used for receiving email while SMTP is used for sending mail to other servers.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is a protocol that requests that your email provider will save all of your messages and folders onto its own servers. This way, whether you are using an email client or webmail, you will be able to connect to your email account and view anything you have received because it’s always stored on their server.

STMP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the protocol for sending emails out of your account to other destinations. It enables your email client to connect to the server of your provider to send outgoing mail, especially to other servers.

Back To FAQ

2. Does Mailbird Support IMAP? / Does Mailbird Support POP3?

Yes. Mailbird uses IMAP or POP3 to connect to most email providers. Mailbird’s technology can detect the server settings automatically when you enter your email address.

If it is unable to detect the settings, you can set up your email manually by entering the details your provider has listed for their server settings: like the IMAP or POP3 Port and IMAP or POP3 Security.

You will also need to enter the username and password you have assigned with your email provider.

Back To FAQ

3. What does 'port' mean in my email settings?

You can think of the 'port' like an address number. The same way that an IP address identifies the location of a computer, the port identifies the application operating on that computer.

There are a few common port numbers, always use the recommended settings to configure your email server to Mailbird.

Back To FAQ

4. How do I know if I need POP3 or IMAP?

If it is important to you to save space on your desktop, or if you’re worried about backing up your emails, select IMAP. This means that your emails will be stored on the server of your email provider.

POP3 will download your emails to be stored locally and then delete them from the server. This will free up space on your server, but if anything happens to your local storage, those emails won’t be available online. If you are comfortable exclusively having a local copy of your files, POP3 is a viable option.

Read this article to learn more about their features and differences.

Back To FAQ

5. Can I set up Mailbird for Mac?

Mailbird for Mac is on it's way! Unfortunately, Mailbird is not yet available for our friends using Apple devices. If you'd like to be kept in the loop on Mailbird for Mac, click here.

Back To FAQ

6. How can I import my old emails?

If your old emails are still available in your account, they will automatically be imported. IMAP protocol syncs your emails and folders with the email server, making it possible to manage your emails on any device that is connected to your account.

Once you add your Aol.com account to Mailbird, it will grant you access to your emails immediately, no further action is required.

Note: If your emails are from your local server, it won’t be possible to import them because of IMAP protocols.

Back To FAQ

7. How can I manually set up Aol.com on Mailbird?

This page will walk you through setting up an email account to Mailbird. Step 6 refers to the manual process.

Back To FAQ

8. How does Mailbird protect my privacy?

Our Privacy Policies and Terms of Use are 100% compliant with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as of 25 May 2018.

Mailbird cannot ever read any of your personal information. This includes your emails, attachments, and account passwords. Mailbird is a local client on your computer and all sensitive data is never shared with Mailbird or anyone else.

You may contact us directly at any time to review or opt out of the information we hold that pertains to you and your account. Please write to support@getmailbird.com.

Back To FAQ

9. How do you generate an app password in Aol.com?

Even though most email clients work with Aol.com out of the box, some situations may require you to generate an app password. You can find the button to generate an app-specific password for Aol.com in the account settings under the security tab. Use this password to sign on when your regular account password does not work. If you need more guidance, read our article: How to Generate an App Password in Aol.com.

Back To FAQ